Opera Santa Barbara will return to the Ojai Library to present a Free Noontime Opera Concert on Thursday, January 30, 2020. The concert will begin at 12pm in the main room of the library and will last approximately 45 minutes.
On Saturday, February 1, from 1 to 2 pm, retired Park Ranger Carol Peterson will visit the Ojai Library to deliver a special talk entitled Island of the Blue Dolphins: Discover the True Story That Inspired the Book. This is a presentation for young readers and their families.
Attendees will explore a new Channel Islands National Park website to learn more about the Lone Woman of San Nicolas Island, the Native American woman whose life inspired Scott O’Dell to write the award-winning novel. Visit the site at www.nps.gov/islandofthebluedolphins.
This event is free and open to the public. For additional information, contact Ron Solórzano, Regional Librarian, at (805) 218-9146.
The Ojai Library is located at 111 East Ojai Ave. Hours of service are 10am to 8pm Monday through Thursday and 12pm to 5pm Friday through Sunday.
On Saturday evening, February 8, from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m., Ojai native plant educator Lanny Kaufer will lead a plant identification Full Moon Sunset Herb Walk to a vista point above the Ojai Valley where the group can watch the moon rise at 5:15 p.m. and the sun set at 5:25 p.m. Following the walk, participants are invited to enjoy an optional “after-party” at Ojai Valley Brewery and Azu Restaurant where brewmaster Jeremy Haffner crafts beers with the same local native plants they just visited.
After completing online registration, those participating will receive an email with instructions to meet at the Park-and-Ride lot in downtown Ojai between 3:00 and 3:30 p.m. and carpool to the trailhead to minimize the crowded parking situation there.
From there all attendees are invited to join Lanny and his wife Rondia at 6:45 p.m. across the street at Azu Restaurant and Ojai Valley Brewery.
Register now at HerbWalks.com by calling 805-646-6281. Registrants will receive a confirmation email with all necessary info a few days prior. No dogs or smoking, please.
Leslie Marcus, of Ojai, will show her work throughout January at Poppies Art and Gifts. A reception with the artist will take place Jan. 17 from 5-7 p.m. at 323 E. Matilija Street, Ojai.
Marcus will show her collection of hand-painted 55-in. scarves, which can be used as shawls or body wraps. In addition, she will display oil on canvas paintings. Her motifs feature flowers, hearts and sensual women.
Mrs. Shirley Bradshaw feels stuck in the same old house with the same boring husband. When she accepts an invitation to join a friend in Greece, she discovers somebody she forgot about: her true self, Shirley Valentine. The Ojai Art Center Theater’s 2020 season takes off with this life-affirming production, January 24 through February 16.
From Tony award-winning playwright Willy Russell (Educating Rita and Blood Brothers), Shirley Valentine inspires every woman who ever found herself frustrated with her life. Shirley contends with her own empty-nester syndrome, coupled with her husband Joe’s obsessive-compulsive disorder. On a Greek beach overlooking sparkling water, Shirley encounters a vastly different lifestyle complemented by romantic spice. The experience opens a window to her long-lost identity.
The one-woman show stars Anna Kotula, who worked with director Steve Grumette to combine the depth of a seminal female character with a humorous self-deprecating housewife. Anna produced the show with Richard Sven Shelgren, and incorporated set design by Bianca Rice.
